Minutes 09-03-2019 Regular Meeting

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6 Commissioner McKee said he will let his petition stand, and he said to limit public discussion on any high interest topic is foolish, and fans the fire. He said the Board is not hiding anything, but the public should be heard on high interest or controversial issues. Chair Rich said a public hearing would allow this participation. Commissioner McKee agreed, but said he also feels people should be allowed to speak after the County Attorney presents his report at the work session. He said limiting public comment in any way fosters distrust in the County government. Commissioner Greene acknowledged that this is their first meeting back after the summer break. She said much happened of the summer, including a woman with dementia that wandered away from her home. She recognized and commended Kirby Saunders, Emergency Services, and others for helping to find her. Commissioner Price said during the summer she attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) annual conference, and federal support and funding for the Arts is at an all- time high, and encouraged the Arts Commission to keep up its efforts in creating a place making for Orange County. She said she also attended the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) conference, and gave a shout out to youth representative Camille Clark, who interviewed Commissioner Greene. She said this gives youth the opportunity to be involved in local government. She said Camille was recently elected as the president of Orange County 4-H. Commissioner Price said the Board of Elections (BOE) is proposing new precinct boundaries, which are based on common sense; as well as some other issues to pay attention to and provide comments to the BOE. Commissioner Price said the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition is hosting “Just Another Lynching” on September 9 at the Chapel Hill Library. She said there will be a program on Blacks and World War I at the Passmore Center on September 14. Commissioner Marcoplos said GoTriangle is adding an important new bus stop by Chapel Hill North, which will allow people to transfer to the CRX bus to Raleigh. He said commuter rail is in infancy stages of being studied and negotiated, and he serving as the County representative in discussions with the NC Railroad. He said these negotiations will take time, but are underway. He said Hillsborough Park and Ride is slated for some serious work in 2019-2020. He said several bus stops are in the design stages, 4 of which are in Hillsborough. Commissioner Marcoplos said he wanted to petition about the electric vehicle charging stations, and would like to know how the old ones worked and why they are being replaced. He said it is important to understand emerging technology. He said he would also like to know where the locations will be for the new solar charging stations. Commissioner Marcoplos said he is very proud of the rally that happened in Hillsborough on Saturday, with 800-1000 people showing up peacefully. He applauded the organizers. Commissioner Marcoplos referred to the upcoming work session, and said he wants as much public input as possible on all issues, but he wants to work at this work session, and he said to keep this work session as a work session. Chair Rich said she received a letter from the Governor about why he did not pass the budget, which she will share with the Board. She applauded the staff for all of their hard work over the summer, and said the Clerk has provided a draft calendar for the 2020 meeting schedule. Chair Rich said she and the Clerk will be updating the Rules of Procedure, and creating a new Board of County Commissioners handbook. Chair Rich read communication from the BOE Director Rachel Raper, regarding the proposed precinct changes, and said the public is invited to leave public comments on the website. Chair Rich referred to Commissioner McKee’s petition about the upcoming work session, and said if the Board is going to make a change the public needs to know.